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A Sneak Peek at Some of Our Newest Humanities to Go Programs

Thursday, December 1, 2016

If you haven’t yet seen our new Humanities to Go Catalog, here's a preview of some of the enticing new programs that will pique your curiosity! Watch for these and other new titles in our upcoming print and e-versions of the Calendar.

Rosie’s Mom:Forgotten Women of the First World WarOne hundred years ago, a full generation before Rosie the Riveter, American women rolled up their sleeves and entered war industries where they had never been welcome before. They ran powerful machinery, learned new skills, and faced the sullen hostility of the men in the shops. In this illustrated lecture, historian Carrie Brown explores how these women helped shape the work that their more famous daughters would do in the next World War.

From Mickey to Magoo:The Golden Age of American AnimationFrom the 1920s to the 1960s, theatergoers could anticipate a cartoon before each feature film. From Mickey Mouse to Donald Duck, Popeye, Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and Mr. Magoo, the beloved cartoon “stars” were every bit as memorable as the Hollywood actors who shared the marquee. Many of these cartoons were redistributed as Saturday morning shows for kids of the next generation. Margo Burns offers an introduction to the people and studios that made these films and the changing technology, aesthetics, music, politics, and economics behind them.

Television: The Art and Ethics of ManipulationJohn Gfroerer explores the power of television as a communication medium and examines the artistic techniques used to persuade, induce, and entice us, Gfroerer considers the extent to which television teaches or simply tantalizes us. Are ethical boundaries crossed by the use of these techniques, and to what extent as media consumers should we care?

New Hampshire Roads Taken – Or NotFollowing World War II, New Hampshire embarked on an extensive program of highway construction and improvements to accommodate explosive growth in passenger vehicles and commercial traffic. Hundreds of millions in federal, state, and local tax dollars would be expended on this initiative over the second half of the 20th century and road construction would become an enduring part of the state’s economy. In this program, Steve Taylor reviews some of our most significant highway choices in the 20th century, and discusses the economic, social, and cultural changes that followed decisions to build or not to build.

God, the Early Years: A Brief History of God in the Rise of Judaism, Christianity, and IslamDo the three major monotheistic religions worship the same deity? Nicole Ruane traces the rise of the deity who comes to be known as The Lord, God the Father, and Allah from his earliest form as a young god in the area of Syria-Palestine, later merged with the father deity of the local pantheon known as El, and on across the Middle East and through the centuries. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam spread knowledge of this deity, in his various forms, throughout the world.

Global Banjar:International Voices in Antebellum Banjo MusicThrough the lens of early banjo music, the Hardtacks (Marek Bennett and Woody Pringle) deliver an overview of global politics prior to the American Civil War. Between 1820 and 1860, the banjo transformed from a slave instrument found only on Southern plantations to an international pop phenomenon: songs and playing techniques carried far and wide in the emerging global economy, from the streets of New York’s Five Points slum to the gold fields of California and the elite drawing rooms of London, from the battlegrounds of Nicaragua to official diplomatic receptions in Japan. How did this African-derived, slave-borne folk instrument come to symbolize all the best and worst of a young United States?

For details and dates for all Humanities to Go programs, please click HERE.